This psalm in the Bible records a prayer of Moses when older in years. Here, praying to God, is a man who has vast experience of life as a leader of a nation. He begins his prayer with praise to the Almighty God. In so doing he praises God who is eternal – ‘From everlasting to everlasting You are God’; all seeing – ‘Our secret sins [are] in the light of Your countenance’; holy and just – ‘Who knows the power of Your anger?’ God is awesome in His majesty and in His might and wisdom!
Moses then focuses in his prayer to God, on the state of man by nature. Our iniquities are all known to God, even our secret sins! Our days on this earth are actually very brief and very soon we are cut off from this life! Knowing these realities how does Moses continue? He comes before God humbly, in confession, and by faith, he requests of God, ‘Teach us to number our days’. That we would consider the brevity of life and that in doing so we might ‘gain a heart of wisdom’.
He asks God, ‘Satisfy us early with Your mercy’, that ‘we may rejoice and be glad’ and for ‘the beauty of the Lord our God [to] be upon us’. From these wise requests of Moses we learn that if we approach God with humility and dependence, God will grant to us a heart of real wisdom to understand our state and condition, and will satisfy us with His mercy so that we may rejoice. This becomes a reality within our souls as we trust in His provision for us in the Messiah – Jesus Christ who is ‘the beauty of the Lord’
May the wise requests of Moses the man of God speak to our hearts this week.
John 14 vs 6
